The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-03-09
WORK OF CONGRESS.
Summary OF Measures that Have
Become Laws or Been
Defeated.
The Number Of Bills, Resolutions,
ETC., Introduced in Both
Houses.
washington speciaI.1

The total number Of laws enacted by the
Forty-ninth Congress was. approximately. 1,431,
OF which 1908 originated in the House and 1913
in the Senate. Two hundred and sixty-four OF
these became laws by the expiration OF the con-
stitutional ten days limitation. Fifty bills
failed TO become laws, owing to the adjourn
ment OF Congress, nine OF them at the close Of
the first session. There were 1872 bills vetoed by
the President, or twenty-one more than had
been vetoed from the foundation OF the Govern
ment down To the beginning of this Congress.
OF the vetoed bills ninety -four originated in the
House and thirty mine in the Senate. But one
private bill, that granting pension to Joseph
Romeser, and one public bill for the erection OF
a Government building at Dayton, Ohio, sue
ceeded in passing both houses over the Presi-
dents veto, although several others obtained
the requisite twothirds vote In the Senate, only
to fail in the House.
OF the l,053 House bills which became laws,
275 were of more or less public nature. OF the
remaining 776 bills granting pensions relief
to specially designated personsl, l5d became
laws without the approval of the President
The following is a list of more important House
bills which have become laws:
To forfeit the Atlantic g. Pacific Railroad land
grant to increase the pensions of widows and
dependent relatives from 90 to Sl2 FER month
the Dingley shipping bill to require the Pacific
roads to pay the cost Of surveying and convey
ing their land grants and subject the land TO tax
alton 80 soon as the companies are entitled to
them to increase the naval ablishment; to
pension the Mexican war veterans; the oleomar-
wood tract near Chicago, to the United States
for military purposes; to protect homestead set
tiers within railroad limits to enable national
banking associations to increase their capital
stock and change their name and location to
grant license TO towing vessels TO carry linn.
tied number OF persons in addition TO theii
crews to forfeit the "Back-B Bone land grant:
to reduce the fees on domestic money orders for
sums less than So; TO extend the immediate-de-
livery system; to prohibit the passage of local
special laws in the Territories to provide for
closing up the business OF the Court of Alabama
Claims 10 establish additional life-saving sta
tions for the construction of additional light
houses extending the free-delivery system to
towns Of 10000 inhabitants for the sale of the
Cherokee reservation in Arkansas to anne nd the
statutes to require brewers TO give bonds
for three times their estimated monthly tax;
for the issue of postal notes in sums less than
S. to validate the general laws Of Dakota re-
garding the Incorporation OF insurance com
panies TO provide for the inspection OF tobacco,
cigars, and snuff, and TO repeal section 3l5l Of
the Revised Statutes to make ST. Charles,
Mo-, a port of entry; to allow underwriters
to be recognized as consgnees OF merchandise
on abandoned vessels to restrict ownership Of
lands in the territories to American citizens to
amend the act dividing Missouri into two Judi
cial districts, and to divide it into eastern and
western divisions to prohibit Government en-
ployes from hiring or contracting out the labor
of United States prisoners; to amend the duti-
able-goods act so as to allow merchan-
disc to be transported in bond passenger
trains in safes, pouches and trunks and in
parcels to amend the act prohibiting the i'm
portGtion and immigration of foreigners under
labor contracts for an additional associate JUS
tice of the Supreme Court OF Wyoming provid-
ing for the location OF a branch soldiers homo
west of the Rocky Mountains; for the relief Of
the Jeanette sufferers ;amendatory of the act
dividing Illinois into judicial districts and pro-
viding for the holding of terms of court at Peo-
ria relative to contested elections to loan arti
cles in the Government departments TO the Min
nesota Industrial Exposition; to regulate the
jurisdiction Of United States Circuit Courts for
the adjustment of land grants and the forfeit
ure OF unearned lands to add number OF cities
to the list Of national bank reserve cities. and
TO allow part of the reserve to be
kept in cities other than New York for
the relief of settlers on the public
lands in Kansas and Nebraska; to provide
for bringing suits against the Government; for
the erection Of public buildings at Los Angeles,
Cal, Springfield, Mo, FL Paso Tex, Santa Fo,
\; NJ, and Jefferson: Tex. to increase the limit
of cost of public buildings at Peoria, ILL.,, Gal
weston, Tex, Clnrksburg, w. Va, kookuk,
Iowa, Chattanooga, Tenn, Detroit, Mich. ; for
the completion or improvement Of public build
ings at Dallas, Tex, Des Moines, Iowa, Jack
son, Tenn. and Hannibal, Mo-, for the purchase
of additional ground for the building at Fort
Wayne, Ind for the purchase Of site for
Federal building ut San Francisco, CAL
Forty House joint resolutions became laws,
the principal ones being as follows:
Directing the Commissioner of Labor TO make
an investigation as to convict labor; authoriz-
ing the Secretary of the Interior to certain
unexpended balances for the relief OF the
Northern Cheyennes of Wyoming; to authorize
the President to protect American fishing and
trading vessels ard American fishermen in Can
adian waters authorizing investigation of
the books, methods, and accounts OF the Pacific
railroads.
OF the total number Of bills which passed the
Senate $40 became laws, including lis OF Il
public and pos of a strictly private nature. The
following is n list of the more important:
The Presidential succession bill the inter
state commerce bill; for the retirement and
recoinage of the trade dollar; the electoral
count bill for the allotment OF lands in sew
crafty to Indians to repeal the tenure of office
act; to increase the annual appropriation for
10. afnlal ali
ment stations; to legalize tho incorporation OF
trades unions authorizing the transmission OF
weather reports through the mails free of post
age; 10 increase the pension for loss OF
arm leg; to indemnify the Chinese for
losses sustained by the Rock Springs Wy.
IT, riot; for the relief of Texas, Colora-
do, Oregon, Nebraska, California, Kansas,
Nevada Washington Territory, and Ida
no; authorizing the sale Of certain Gov
eminent property IN Chicago Tor the holding
of terms of the United States Courts ut Bay
City, Mich TO remove the charge of deserton
from the records OF soldiers who re- enlisted
without wing received discharges on account
Of first enlistment to establish two additional
land districts in Nebraska; 70 amend the laws
relating to patents, trademarks, and copy
rights to extend the time for the completion Of
the records of the Court of Alabama Claims; TO
credit Kansas with certain money on ordnance
account TO bridge the Mississippi River at It.
Louis TO allow receivers Of national banks to
buy in trust property on the approval of the
Comptroller Of the Currency TO prohibit the
importation OF opium; for the cree ton OF pub
Texas, Oshkosh, Wis, Fort Smith, Ark, Owens
borough, KY, and Milwaukee, Wis. TO increase
the limit OF cost for public buildings at Oxford,
Miss, and Denver, Col. for the completion Of
public buildings at Fort Scott and Wichita,
Kansas.
The Senate bills vetoed were thirty-nine in
number eleven being of n public and twenty
eight of private character. The public bills
vetoed were rs follows
To quiet the titles OF settlers on the Des
Moncs River lands passed over the veto in the
Senate but failed of ths necessary two-thirds
in the Houses for the erection OF public build
ings at GAINESVILLE Ohio, Lafayette Ind, Sioux
City, Iowa, Dayton, Ohio passed over the veto
in both houses, and Lynn, Mass. to extend the
provisions of the immediate transportation act
to Omaha, Neb to grant railroads right of way
through the Indian reservations in Northern
Montana.
The niuety-threo House bills vetoed in
cluded eighty-seven private bills aud six bills
OF IA public nature. The public bills vetoed
were:
For the erection of Federal buildings at
Springfield. Mo-, Duluth, Mimi, Asheville, n. c.,
and Portsmouth, Ohio; To distribute $4,000
worth OF seeds among ths drOught-strick peo-
pie of Texas TO grant pensions to dependent
soldiers and dependent relatives of deceased
soldiers.
THE inhabitants of cities suppose
that the country landscape is pleasant
only half the year. 1 please myself
with the grac es of the winter scenery,
II Il.